The Day of the Carnivore Special
by DragonGirl317
Summary: Jason and Reyna out for some pizza. What could possibly happen? Jeyna.


THE DAY OF THE CARNIVORE SPECIAL

"Hold your sword higher, _excors_! Swing! Harder!" Jason's sword clangs against my spear. "Better."

"Better? That was better? That deserves a eleven out of ten! Three thumbs up. Standing ovation, encore, and a coupon for a free slice at _Mario's_," he replies, naming the pizza place next to the baths.

I shake my head. "Now, if you could actually beat me at fighting, I might consider buying you a whole pizza. But it's not like that's ever going to happen," I sigh. "At least not until Jupiter grants you the ability to hold a sword properly."

"I AM holding my sword properly. See?" Jason shakes his weapon.

"Your hands should be lower on the hilt. That way you can swing with more power."

He corrects his grip. "Does nothing impress you, Reyna?"

I smile at him. "No."

We take our positions again. Jason shouts "FOR ROME!" and charges me, sword out. I parry his attack and lunge with my spear. He ducks and spins behind me.

Our weapons clang together again. I pretend to yawn, just because I know it will annoy him, and continue to deflect his sword. He rolls his eyes.

Suddenly, he fakes to my left and gets close enough to unbalance me with his shield. And then Jason Grace is on top of me in the dust of the arena.

He smiles, his face right on top of mine. "Checkmate. I believe you owe me a pizza, _praetor_."

-/-

Mario's is unusually crowded for a Thursday night. All the tables look full, but Jason's not letting that stop him from gloating.

"So I'm thinking the Carnivore Special." He rubs his hands together as we move up in line.

"I let you beat me once in sword fighting and you order the most expensive thing on the menu?"

He shrugs. His hair is still wet from the shower he took after we left the arena.

I had taken one, too. My wet hair was back in a braid, and I had actually put on a skirt. It was a short one. I tugged on it before adding "Seventeen denarii is way to much for a pizza."

"Its the meat lovers specialty. It has sausage, pepperoni, chicken, and Canadian bacon to satisfy the carnivore within you," he reads off the menu.

"And is it your inner carnivore needs satisfying or your ego?"

Before Jason can reply, the girl behind the cash register says, "Welcome to Mario's, how can I help you?"

"One large Carnivore Special," I grumble.

The girl's eyes light up with recognition. "Hey, Reyna! Wow, didn't expect to see you here. And Jason! Ohmigosh are you two a couple?"

I recognize her eager expression. It's Margo, from the Second Cohort. Also known as one of the biggest mouths in the legion.

"Uh..." Jason starts.

"You are, aren't you? You're totally going out. I knew it! Courtney told me, see, but I didn't believe her because Reyna's so- uh, you know," Margo says, stumbling over the last word of her sentence. "Um. So is that for here or to go?"

"For here," Jason replies. "But-"

Margo smiles knowingly. "Hey Freddy! I told you Reyna and Jason were going out!" she calls behind her.

Jason gives up trying to correct her, and I hand Margo the denarii in exchange for the receipt and two soft drink cups.

"The whole legion will think we're a couple by ten tonight," I groan.

"Yeah." I watch him as he approaches the soda machine. He pours Dr. Pepper in the cup, then adds Lemonade, Gatorade, Diet Coke, and a splash of Hi-C.

I feel as if I'm leaving something out when I just get a plain water.

"Well, you know, praetors do work close together. It is common for them to become a little romantically involved," Jason states.

My heart beats a little faster, but I force myself to focus on his actual words and not the meaning behind them. I repeat his sentences in my head a few times before responding calmly, "Yes. I suppose."

"Fifty three!" The guy behind the counter shouts.

"You really should work on your form, Jason. To be honest, it's sloppy."

He slides into the booth, face remaining the same through the abrupt change of subject. "What do I need to work on?"

I give him a brief summary of the flaws in his swordsmanship, and he nods thoughtfully as I consider changes that should be made. "You just got lucky," I conclude. "You caught me off guard once."

"Fifty five!"

"That's us," Jason says.

The pizza is good. I pull most of the meat off of mine to save for Aurum and Argentum. I can't bring them into the city anymore because apparently the Lares are a bunch of liars. Every time we pass one, they charge off after the ghosts. I have to call them off. After they assaulted Vitellius, he had taken it up with the Senate. Apparently most of them were afraid of my dogs because they ruled in his favor.

Jason is trying to have a conversation with me, but we keep being interrupted by giggles and pointing. Margo's eyes drift our way every couple of minutes. Faces press against the window next to us that faces the cobbled street.

He's about finishing up with his fifth piece of pizza when he smirks in a way that is so un-Jasonlike it puts me on guard.

I watch as the same group of girls 'casually passes' by the window for the third time. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking...wouldn't it be funny if...well, we put on a show for them?"

Normally, I would have shut him down immediately with shouts of how "Rome didn't get built by fooling around", but I'm comfortably full of pizza, and the crowds are starting to thin, and it is really warm and cozy in here, and he looks so excited, and so I surprise myself by saying "Why not?"

He looks as shocked as I must have when he smirked. "Well...okay then. When that group of girls pass by the window again. Okay?" He sounds afraid I'll come to my senses and back out.

"Okay," I respond, grinning.

I'm filled with ridiculous giddy excitement. I can tell he is, too. The fact that neither of us has ever let go of responsibility even for one second tingles in our stomachs.

I wonder, for a brief second, if this is how it feels to be drunk.

"Here they come." I hesitantly slide into his side of the booth and curl up beside him. Jason slides an arm around my shoulders. His fingers play with the end of my braid. I don't care if this is all an act anymore, because I just can't pretend I've never wanted to feel his arms around me.

The girls stop walking. I can see it in my peripheral vision. More than that, I can sense it, just like I can sense the moment before Jason will strike me with his sword in the arena.

Jason pulls me in closer against him. I tilt my head to rest on his cheek, and stretch my legs out on top of the worn vinyl booth.

The girls are still watching.

Then, Jason takes my hand in his. He links our fingers. And just when I let my eyes rest on our intertwined hands, he leans down and kisses my cheek.

I can hear the girls squeal through the plate glass as they jog away to tell everyone in the city.

We both burst out laughing, but I can still feel the spot on my cheek where his lips touched.

"That was awesome!" He exclaims, his cheeks still red from laughing.

I'm biting my lip to prevent another round of high pitched giggles from escaping. "It was, wasn't it?"

"Did you see that one girl's face? Her mouth was hanging open...jeez, Reyna," he grins as I dissolve into hiccups, "I've never seen you having this much fun."

"I've never had this much fun."

And then I remember who I am. I swallow my hiccups and with a bright smile add:

"But you're still _unius excors_."

**I love Jeyna too. My best friend wrote this one too. :D Review!**


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